EP1051295B1 - Method and machine for making labels or the like made adhesive and set on a package winding - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and a machine used in said method for making adhesive labels (1) on a support band (3) wound in a coil (5), comprising a silicone support dispenser (4), means for coating (6) with glue (7) the whole surface (31) of said support (3) urged opposite the labels (1), a magazine (2) containing such printed labels, stacked on one another in the same direction and means for package winding (5) said support band (3) after the labels (1) have been positioned. The invention is characterised in that the labels (1) are extracted by means providing fleeting transverse contact (T) between the coated support (3) surface (32) maintained slightly stretched above the magazine (2) extracting zone where a label (1) surface to be coated is constantly presented, so as to extract it by simple elastic contact and bring it by moving the support (3) in the longitudinal direction, towards a system for evacuating the excess glue on the support band.

Description

The present invention relates to a method of manufacture of self-adhesive articles such as labels, against labels, collars of all shapes and all kinds regularly placed on a support strip on reel.

The invention also relates to a machine using implements the process in particular to produce labels traditional prints in boards cut to the unit and made adhesive by deposition on a silicone support or similar wound in reel.

In the area of product labeling and more particularly for high speed labeling of containers in all their forms it is today necessary to use adhesive labels arranged in repetitive series on a support strip facilitating their take off before transfer to each container. According to a usual arrangement of labeling machines, the strip support is wound on a reel; gold manufacturing of adhesive labels on reels can only be done thanks to very specific equipment using machines rotary or semi-rotary whose cost is dissuasive for the vast majority of printers. This is why these looked for solutions to make coils of adhesive printed labels using their know-how traditional, consisting in printing the labels in boards followed by a classic cutting operation the unit, then the printed labels are made self-adhesive and finally arranged on a support strip silicone wound in a reel.

To this end, we have already devised rewinding of self-adhesive labels from individual labels coated with aqueous glue including the opening times are practically infinite, and then arranged on a support in non-stick material. This is for example the case of European patent EP-600,872 which has the disadvantage of requiring an apparatus complicated such as feeders, destackers, and other pliers transfer with the risk of marking the label on the grips of pliers. We have also proposed many devices for manufacturing self-adhesive labels part of individual printed labels; usually a strip of silicone paper is unwound to a post applying labels. A deposit of aqueous adhesive is previously performed on the tape exactly where provided to receive each label in order to avoid any glue overflow; this is the case for example of the patent European EP-180.365 which provides sensors for positioning to rigorously arrange each label on the tape which is then reeled.

All these systems depositing the adhesive on a strip silicone at a specific location necessarily use the use of placers or feeders, which introduce inevitably non-controllable positioning faults generally resulting in poor quality of final labeling or even malfunctions in the high rate container labeling systems.

Other solutions have also been proposed for solve this problem: on a strip of silicone paper or similar, glue is continuously applied; an organ of removal of individual labels comes to apply these on the band which is necessarily wider than the individual label in order to avoid any defect coating the back of the label. A slitting operation laterally or circumferentially, is then provided to clear the parts of the support strip with excess glue on both sides or around each label. This is for example the case of process and apparatus described in the European patent EP 098.092.

We also know the document WO 95/34421 which describes a method of producing an estate self-adhesive labels along the length of a strip support delivered on reel. These self-adhesive labels called "Outserts" are obtained from a tape double-sided adhesive of which a first adhesive face is glued to a first support strip and in the second face adhesive receives laminar material delivered by a application station, the adhesive faces comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive, i.e. glue solid. The "Outserts" then pass under a cutout that cuts the double-sided adhesive tape without cut the support strip, the waste from the strip double sided adhesive then being removed and rolled up on a waste coil simultaneously with the strip of transfer which allows, for example, to print the face superior of "outserts".

We easily understand all the disadvantages of such prior solutions, either that they are extremely expensive when using position and / or transfer clamps to dispose the labels on the silicone supports correctly or again when provision is made for slitting or cutting of said support to remove excess glue, either they only offer very solutions specific exactly adapted to a category or a unique form of label and therefore require very heavy investments.

To remedy all these drawbacks, it is proposed according to the invention a method and a machine the implementing to deposit labels on a support previously glued over its entire surface without destacker, placer, or feeder system using advantageously the stickiness of the adhesive and by proceeding by wiping off the residual glue with a strip of dump. Such a particularly simple system guaranteed in in addition to the total adhesive backing of labels or the like without lack of adhesive around the edges of the same labels regardless of their shape and size.

• encoller totalement le support sur l'une de ses faces avec une colle à temps d'ouverture quasiment infini qui est ensuite amenée sans contact au droit de la pile d'étiquettes, en regard du dos de la première étiquette puis,
• grâce à une action transversale fugitive soit sur la face non encollée du support en direction de ladite étiquette soit sur l'étiquette ou mieux sur le magasin contenant la pile d'étiquettes, en direction de la face encollée du support et grâce au poisseux de la colle de l'autre face dudit support, à faire adhérer l'étiquette sur la face encollée du support qui l'entraíne à l'extérieur de la pile, avantageusement sur une longueur un peu supérieure à celle de l'étiquette 1 puis, alors
• à plaquer ensemble la face encollée du support et l'étiquette qui y adhère contre une bande de décharge venant recouvrir l'étiquette et les parties encollées du support qui débordent de l'étiquette de telle manière que l'excédent de colle autour de chaque étiquette soit transféré sur la bande de décharge qui est ensuite mécaniquement séparée du support dont elle élimine l'excédent de colle puis,
• le support encollé défilant à nouveau ou en continu, et grâce à une nouvelle action transversale fugitive, à capturer une nouvelle étiquette, à l'extraire et à l'entraíner sur le support qui est déchargé de son excédent de colle, selon un fonctionnement avantageusement cyclique.

In this regard, and in accordance with a first subject of the invention, there is proposed a method for manufacturing adhesive labels, or similar articles, previously printed in sheets, cut out individually and made self-adhesive by deposition on a silicone or similar support, wound in a reel of width slightly greater than the label and mechanically coated continuously with adhesive, the labels being stacked in the same direction, one on top of the other; said method comprises the succession of steps consisting:

• totally glue the support on one of its faces with a glue with almost infinite opening time which is then brought without contact to the right of the stack of labels, facing the back of the first label then,
• thanks to a fleeting transverse action either on the non-glued side of the support in the direction of said label or on the label or better on the magazine containing the stack of labels, in the direction of the glued side of the support and thanks to the stickiness of the glue on the other side of said support, to make the label adhere to the glued side of the support which entrains it outside the stack, advantageously over a length a little longer than that of label 1 then
• to press together the glued side of the support and the label which adheres to it against a discharge tape covering the label and the glued parts of the support which overflow the label so that the excess glue around each label either transferred to the discharge tape which is then mechanically separated from the support from which it removes the excess adhesive then,
• the glued support scrolling again or continuously, and thanks to a new transient transverse action, to capture a new label, to extract and train it on the support which is discharged of its excess glue, according to an advantageous operation cyclic.

Another essential object of the invention is a machine implementing the method according to the invention for the manufacture of adhesive labels or the like on a support strip wound in a reel, comprising a distributor of silicone or similar supports in rollers, means for coating a glue in time almost infinite opening on the entire face of said support coming next to the back of the labels that wants to make adhesive, a store of such labels printed, stacked in the same direction on top of each other others, means for rewinding said strip support after positioning of the labels on said face coated with the label support and unstacking means and a discharge strip consisting of a strip of paper of such quality that the glue adheres to it more easily than on the silicone or similar support strip, coming from a mother reel, recovered from a storage reel and passing between two pressure rollers so that it is inserted between the labels of the coated face of the support and one of the rollers at the point of tangency said rollers and that it moves away from the support at the outlet of the line of tangency of the pressure rollers according to a direction different from that of the support, to wipe, after unstacking the labels, the excess glue from the support which causes said labels.

According to a first variant particularly advantageous of the machine, the unstacking means are made up of dimensions less than or equal to those of the label positioned to the right of the unstacking area of the magazine and an electromagnet or cam system for that said plate is maintained in the so-called rest position, slightly detached above the uncoated side of the support so that it is submitted in the so-called position of work on a reciprocating linear motion parallel to itself and direction perpendicular to the support causing it to push back briefly with a movement transverse and fugitive said support until contact with the back of the label awaiting unstacking and return fast in the rest position to allow engaging new transverse impulse, extract and bring a new label with advantageous operation continued.

According to another particularly advantageous variant of the machine, the unstacking of the labels is obtained by a transverse and fleeting movement of the store caused by a classic cam or eccentric mechanism for example, bringing the back of the label, which comes up constantly leaving the unstacking zone using means conventional battery rise, in contact with the face glued from the opposite support, held by its other face back pressure on a fixed plate, advantageously the size of the label and preferably positioned so that its front edge coincides with the downstream edge of the label, which is removed from the store to be brought by a longitudinal displacement of the support parallel to the surface of the unstacking area on a distance slightly greater than its length to allow to initiate a new transversal action of the store, extract and bring a new label according to a advantageously continuous operation.

We understand all the advantages of such a machine which, unlike rotary presses known in the art front can be a particularly table machine inexpensive to carry out; it is quite natural that thanks to the process according to the invention, the machine provides total coating of the label, whatever its shape and size. In addition, the positioning of the label on the backing strip is extremely simple and in any case very precise insofar as it does not require no feeder or transfer tools. We still understand that such a machine is alone capable of achieving very small series and allows mixing at will on the same reel of different adhesive labels in the since it suffices to carry out the mixing in the organization of the label stack in the store. Well heard, thanks to this material it is also possible to make stocks of old labels adhesive or classics waiting, for example for transplanting. Finally, the machine according to the invention is of course capable of make adhesive all flexible supports, paper, cardboard, plastic, canvas, and more generally all supports rigid with "screen" outlet; we could even drop "flag" labels with overlapping labels or thanks. to a coating timer perform full, strip or reserve bonding, giving the possibility of adhesive only the strips of label overlap.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique et en élévation d'une machine de fabrication d'étiquettes auto-adhésives en bobine mettant en oeuvre le procédé de l'invention,
• la figure 2 représente en vue de dessous la face encollée de la bande support suivant toutes les étapes de fabrication conforme à l'invention ; pour la clarté de cette figure, ont été supprimés, le magasin d'étiquettes ainsi que les bobines-mères distribuant la bande support et la bande de décharge.
• les figures 3 sont une représentation schématique partielle du système original de dépilage selon ses trois états principaux : système au repos (figure 3a) ; système en position de travail (figure 3b) ; système montrant le positionnement de la bande et de l'étiquette en fin de cycle (figure 3c).

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge more clearly from the description which will be given of a machine according to the invention given by way of preferred example, although not limiting, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a schematic view in elevation of a machine for manufacturing self-adhesive labels on a roll implementing the method of the invention,
• FIG. 2 represents a view from below of the glued face of the support strip according to all the manufacturing steps according to the invention; for the sake of clarity in this figure, the label store and the mother reels distributing the support strip and the discharge strip have been deleted.
• Figures 3 is a partial schematic representation of the original unstacking system according to its three principal states: system at rest (Figure 3 a); system in working position (Figure 3b ); system showing the positioning of the strip and the label at the end of the cycle (Figure 3 c ).

According to FIG. 1, the machine putting in implements the process of the invention for manufacturing of labels 1 printed on a sheet and arranged in a stack in the same direction on each other in a store 2 unstacking, waiting to be transferred to a tape silicone or similar support 3, stretched between a coil mother 4 delivering said blank strip 3 and a reel receiver 5 directly usable in systems labeling of containers for example. According to the execution in Figure 1, we chose to have the magazine 2 below of the support strip 3 but it is obvious that any other provision of said store could be suitable in the extent that, at any time, the back of a pre-printed label can be presented in front of the support strip 3 under the conditions which will be detailed later; according to this variant moreover, the store 2 is conventionally equipped with a battery raising device allowing known manner of constantly presenting a label 1 to the correct altitude, i.e. on the unstacking area of the store 2. A coating system 6 by lip nozzle, pistol or projection is provided to the right of the strip support 3 so that its underside 31 (Figure 1) is completely coated with glue 7 on one edge side to side, conventionally shown on the Figures 1 and 3 by a dotted line and by hatching in figure 2.

A fugitive transverse thrust device 8 is provided at right and above the coated support 3 when this is stretched parallel to the unstacking area of the magazine 2 without contact, for example between the spool 5 and the tensioner 9 (Figure 1). The device thrust 8 constitutes the unstacking system according to the invention; it will be detailed later.

After unstacking, the support 3 carrying the label 1, passes through two pressure rollers 11 and 12 tangent and provided at least in surface with a material elastic capable of driving on the one hand the support 3 thanks for example to the motorization of one of the two rollers and, secondly, to perfect the application of label 1 on support 3 silicone coated before storage on the coil 5. In addition and according to another characteristic fundamental of the invention, we insert at the point of tangency of the two pressers 11 and 12 a strip of advantageously continuous discharge 13 originating from a mother reel 14, which is recovered from a reel of storage 15 after discharge of the excess glue 16, removed as will be said later, from the support 3 after passage between the two pressure rollers 11 and 12.

According to Figures 2 and 3 it will now be specified each step of the manufacturing process self-adhesive labels on a roll, in accordance with the invention.

Support strip 3 is a strip of paper silicone or similar known for its low capacity adhesion for currently available adhesives, which these are also cold adhesives or type adhesives "Hot Melt" whose opening times are almost infinite unlike more thermoplastic adhesives old whose opening times were only a few seconds or fractions of a second. The band silicone 3 is chosen according to the size and form of the labels 1 which one wishes to make self-adhesive ; for this purpose, the width of the support 3 will be principle strictly greater than the width of label 1. From a mother reel 4 as it was said (position A in figure 2), the support 3 is entirely coated with glue 7 on only one of its faces (position B figure 2) which will be by linear displacement brought to the look at the back of the first label 1, waiting on the unstacking area of magazine 2, the support being stretched between the rollers 11 and 9 in such a way that said face glued has no natural contact with the label 1 in waiting on the unstacking zone (position C figure 2).

At this instant and thanks to the system 8, a fugitive transverse thrust is carried out on the upper surface 32 not coated with the support 3 making fugitive contact in contact with the glued face 31 of the support 3 with the back of the label 1 which, from this done, will remain attached when the transverse thrust of the system 8 ceases. At this time, the support 3 which can continue its scrolling towards the pressure rollers 11,12, (position D in figure 2) will cause the label 1 thus hung outside the unstacking zone thus allowing a new identical input operation to the first. It is quite obvious that the scrolling of the support 3 can be continuous or alternating when it is subjected to the transverse thrust making it possible to unstack as just said the label 1. Note that according to a preferred variant of execution, the system 8 can be easily produced by a simple plate 81, advantageously of dimensions less than or equal to those of the label 1, the transverse movement of which is for example provided by an electromagnet 82, ensuring the alternating movement represented in FIGS. 3 : in FIG. 3 a representing the approach of the coated face 31 of the support 3 facing the back of the labels stacked in the magazine 2, the plate 81 is at rest slightly above the support 3, so that the plate 81, the support 3 and the back of the label 1 are in parallel planes without contact. FIG. 3b represents the situation of the glued support 3 pushed back along the arrow T towards the back of the label 1 until contact with the latter which will therefore adhere to the support 3 thanks to the stickiness of the glue 7. It will be noted that the downstream edge (in the direction of travel of the support 3) of the plate 81 of the pushing device 8 advantageously coincides with the edge of the label to be removed from the magazine 2 in order to avoid detachments at the entry of the pressers 11 , 12; with reference to FIG. 3 c , the pushing device 8 is inverted and the plate 81 returns to its position, linearly along the arrow R allowing the support 3 to return to its normal position stretched between the rollers 9 and 11 as in FIG. 3 a ; at this time, the label 1 adheres to the support 3 thanks to the glue 7, and the support 3 continuing to scroll or resuming the journey to the next step leads outside the store 2 the label thus collected; it will be noted here that it is particularly advantageous that the plate 81 has dimensions less than or equal to the dimensions of the label to avoid tearing the support 3 during the transverse and fugitive movement.

When the label 1 is extracted using the mechanism which has just been described, the stack of labels in the magazine 2 rises by a height equivalent to the thickness of the label previously extracted thanks to a stack raising system known per se (according to arrow M in FIG. 3 c ).

Support assembly 3 and label 1, extracted unstacked as we just said in position C of the FIG. 2 then driven linearly towards the coil 5, then enters position D of Figure 2 where adhesion from label 1 to support 3 will be completed by pressing between the two pressure rollers 11 and 12 arranged tangentially as we said; the area of support 3 not covered by the label 1 is obviously coated with residual adhesive 16 it is necessary wipe before re-labeling the labels 5 glued to their silicone support 3. For this, at the time where we perfect the adhesion of the label on its support 3 between the two pressure rollers 11,12 there is interposed between the labels 1 and the lower presser 12 a strip of discharge 13 provided by the mother coil 14 (Figure 1); the discharge coil 13 is advantageously constituted by a simple strip of paper at least the same width as the silicone support strip 3; by the time the band of paper 13 comes into contact with excess glue 16 around of the label 1 on the face 31 of the support 3, the excess of glue is transferred to the strip 13 pressed by the two rollers 11 and 12. The strip 13 is then detached from the support 3 at the exit of the tangency line of the rollers pressers 11,12 (position E figure 2) carrying with it the excess glue 16 all the more easily detached from the support 3 that the latter is made of silicone material. For continuously perform this operation it will simply planned to tension the discharge tape at the exit of pressers 11,12 by planning for example to arrange the take-up reel 15 of discharge tape 13 clearly below strip 3 to create a tear automatic. Naturally, after use, the strip of discharge 13 with excess glue 16 is purely and simply put off.

According to one last characteristic of the machines in accordance with the invention, the adjustment of the different lengths of labels to be made adhesive is obtained in moving magazine 2 in the opposite direction to pressure rollers 11 and 12, while remaining parallel to the plate 81 so that the front edge of the stack of labels 1 is always plumb with the edge of the plate 81. The advance of the silicone support 3 and coated 7 is adjusted accordingly, all other elements of the machine remaining stationary.

It goes without saying that many other provisions could be provided to implement the method of the invention such as by replacing the actuator electromagnet to pull the labels against the support 3 coated with glue by a cam system or equivalent, the support 3 being able to scroll as well continuous than progressing by successive leaps following a step slightly longer than the length of the label; so too we could perfectly imagine having store 2 of so that the unstacking area is at the bottom of the stack of pre-printed labels reversing of course all the functions which have been described in the main variant.

Claims (5)

1. Method for fabricating adhesive labels (1) or similar items previously printed in plates, cut into units and made self-adhesive by depositing on a silicone or similar backing wound into a spool (5) and of slightly larger width than the label and mechanically continuously coated with glue (7), the labels (1) being stacked in the same direction, one on the other, the method comprising the succession of steps consisting of:

   pasting the backing (3) entirely on one of its surfaces with a glue of practically infinite sticking time, then bringing it contact-free to above the pile of labels so as to face the back of the first label (1), then

   through transient transverse action either on the non-pasted surface of the backing (3) in the direction of said label (1) or on the label (1) or better still on the hopper (2) containing the pile of labels, in the direction of the pasted surface (31) of backing (3), and by means of the tackiness of the glue (7) on the other surface of said backing, causing the label (1) to adhere to the pasted surface (31) of backing (3) which carries the label outside the stack, advantageously over a distance that is slightly longer than the length of the label (1), then,

   flattening together the pasted surface (31) of the backing (3) and the label (1) which adheres thereto against a discharge strip (13) which covers the label (1) and pasted parts of the backing (3) which project beyond the label (1) so that the excess adhesive (7) around each label (1) is transferred onto the discharge strip (13) which is then mechanically separated from the backing (3) whose excess glue (7) it removes, then

   causing the pasted backing, given further movement or travelling continuously, and by means of further transient transverse action, to capture a new label (1), to extract it and carry it on backing (3) which is relieved of its excess glue (7), following advantageously cyclic operation.
2. Machine implementing the method as in the preceding claim for the fabrication of adhesive labels (1) or similar on a backing strip (3) wound in a spool (5), comprising a dispenser (4) of silicone or similar backings in rolls, means (6) for coating a glue (7) with practically infinite sticking time over the entire surface (31) of said backing (3) which comes to be positioned facing the back of labels (1) which are to be made adhesive, a hopper (2) for said printed labels, stacked in the same direction one on the other, means for winding said backing strip (3) on a spool (5) after positioning the labels (1) on said coated surface (31) of the backing, means (8) for unstacking the labels (1), and a discharge strip (13) consisting of a strip of paper, whose quality is such that the glue (7) adheres to it more easily than onto the silicone or similar backing strip (3), derived from a mother spool (14)and collected on a storage spool (15) and which passes between two compressor rollers (11) and (12) so that it is inserted between the labels (1) of the coated surface (31) of backing (3) and one of the rollers (12) at the tangency point of said rollers (11) and (12) and deflects away from backing (3) on leaving the tangency line of compressor rollers (11, 12) in a different direction to that of backing (3) so that it can, after labels (1) are unstacked, remove the excess glue from backing (3) carrying said labels (1).
3. Machine as in claim 2, characterized in that means (8) consist of a plate (81) advantageously having similar or smaller dimensions than label (1) positioned above the unstacking zone of hopper (2), and of an electromagnet or cam system so that said plate (81) is held in so-called rest position (R) slightly away from and above the non-coated surface (32) of backing (3) and so that it is placed in so-called work position (T) when subjected to an alternate linear movement parallel to itself and in perpendicular direction to the backing (3) causing it briefly via a transverse, transient movement, to repel said backing until it contacts the back of label (1) awaiting unstacking and then makes a rapid return to rest position (R) so that a new transverse impulse T can be made and a new label extracted and carried, advantageously under continuous operation.
4. Machine as in either of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the unstacking of labels (1) is achieved by a transverse, transient movement of the hopper (2) generated for example by a conventional cam or eccentric mechanism bringing the back of the label, which is constantly exposed at the outlet of the unstacking zone through the use of conventional pile elevation means (M,) into contact with the opposite facing pasted surface (31) of backing (3), held by its other surface (32) under counter-pressure against a fixed plate (81) advantageously of similar or smaller dimensions to those of the label (1) and preferably positioned so that its front edge coincides with the downstream edge of the label which can therefore be removed from the hopper and brought via longitudinal movement of backing (3) parallel to the surface of the unstacking zone over a distance that is slightly longer than its length so that new transverse action (T) of hopper (2) can be implemented and a new label (1) extracted and carried forward, following advantageously continuous operation.
5. Machine as in any of claims 2 to 4 characterized in that the glue (7) coating means (6) for one (31) of the surfaces of backing strip (3) consist of lipped nozzles or spray guns dispensing either cold glues or glues of Hot-Melt type having practically infinite sticking time.

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